I have officially been living in Kosova for one whole month! It feels very surreal--some times I feel like the time has flown by and at other moments I feel like it's going by very slowly. There are still lots of cultural things that are hard to adjust to, and most of them are things that we will probably never figure out because we aren't Albanian. Nonetheless, I love Kosova because God has given me the heart to love it. I miss a lot of luxuries in America, like not having seasonal foods. (I never thought how hard it would be not being able to get whatever fruits and veggies I wanted, because when does Kroger not have what I want? Hah) There have definitely been some trying times and struggles to overcome. Thankfully, as my dad reminded me just today, my weaknesses are filled with the strength of the Lord.
I miss my family--especially my sisters and best friends who I've relied on everyday for encouragement and advice. But if I went back to America today I know that I would have already learned such an amazing lesson of what it looks like to wake up and "die to myself" everyday. Choosing the Lord is honestly my only option, otherwise life here is just too hard. There is so much left for my heart and spirit to learn, and I am anxious for those lessons to come and for me to share them with my family and friends when I do get home in November.
There is definitely a feeling that God is preparing Suhareke, Kosova for Him. This city is special, and so is everyone in it. We have a really great (small) community of believers here--the three of us, an Irish missionary named Gillian, some other American missionaries, and several Kosovars. We have such a unique opportunity as American Believers. The people here SEE a difference in us, besides the physical differences of being from a different country, they see something IN us that is different. What a blessing! We have already seen some amazing opportunities to have great conversations because of this. I am reassured daily that we are planting seeds in our English classes and friendships by our behavior. Just recently we were actually given the opportunity to go to a "family camp" in Albania for a week, so we have no idea what to expect with regards to that but we know it will be an adventure!
The English classes are going pretty well. We are in our third week, and I am teaching the "intermediate/advanced" level students. We have two classes every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. There are about 10 students in each of my classes, and they are all really sweet. It has been very interesting trying to make lesson plans, and make myself appear as though I know what I'm talking about, everyday for class--honestly I'm just winging it! I hope that I will learn just as much as my students.
Continue to pray for me and my roommates, the Gegaj family that we are working for, our fellow believers here, our students, unbelievers here, and for countless opportunities to talk about Jesus! <3
I miss my family--especially my sisters and best friends who I've relied on everyday for encouragement and advice. But if I went back to America today I know that I would have already learned such an amazing lesson of what it looks like to wake up and "die to myself" everyday. Choosing the Lord is honestly my only option, otherwise life here is just too hard. There is so much left for my heart and spirit to learn, and I am anxious for those lessons to come and for me to share them with my family and friends when I do get home in November.
There is definitely a feeling that God is preparing Suhareke, Kosova for Him. This city is special, and so is everyone in it. We have a really great (small) community of believers here--the three of us, an Irish missionary named Gillian, some other American missionaries, and several Kosovars. We have such a unique opportunity as American Believers. The people here SEE a difference in us, besides the physical differences of being from a different country, they see something IN us that is different. What a blessing! We have already seen some amazing opportunities to have great conversations because of this. I am reassured daily that we are planting seeds in our English classes and friendships by our behavior. Just recently we were actually given the opportunity to go to a "family camp" in Albania for a week, so we have no idea what to expect with regards to that but we know it will be an adventure!
The English classes are going pretty well. We are in our third week, and I am teaching the "intermediate/advanced" level students. We have two classes every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. There are about 10 students in each of my classes, and they are all really sweet. It has been very interesting trying to make lesson plans, and make myself appear as though I know what I'm talking about, everyday for class--honestly I'm just winging it! I hope that I will learn just as much as my students.
Continue to pray for me and my roommates, the Gegaj family that we are working for, our fellow believers here, our students, unbelievers here, and for countless opportunities to talk about Jesus! <3
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